Barrow

Barrow is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska and is located above the Arctic Circle. It is the 11th northernmost public community in the world and is the northernmost city in the United States of America, with nearby Point Barrow being the nation's northernmost point.Barrow's population was 4,683 at the 2000 census and 4,212 at the 2010 census. In July 2013, the population estimate was 4,373, suggesting a slight increase.HistoryEtymologyThe city's name is derived from Point Barrow, which was named after Sir John Barrow of the British Admiralty by Frederick William Beechey in 1825. The location has been home to the Iñupiat, an indigenous Inuit ethnic group, for over 1500 years and is called Ukpeagvik, or "place where snowy owls are hunted", in the Iñupiaq language.Prehistory to the 19th centuryArchaeological sites in the area indicate the Iñupiat lived around Barrow as far back as AD 500. Remains of 16 sod dwelling mounds from the Birnirk culture of about AD 800 still exist today on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Their position on a slight rise above the high-water mark places them in danger of being lost to erosion within a short time.